And Another One Bites The Dust....

Ahhhh I just can't believe this!

I got a letter today from my OB/GYN that he is leaving the practice and moving to the East Coast!

I am so upset that I am losing another fabulous doctor.

This is just crazy to me, I always thought I would have one doctor deliver all my kids, but I have no been through 4 OBs since January of 2006.

It's a long story, so I will try and condense it. But I have to tell it so you can get a feel for the crap I have been through with these darn obs!

I started with Dr.W when I got pregnant with Logan. He is the BEST there was and ever will be. Dr.W delivered ME and all my siblings. He was the most wonderful doctor you could ever imagine. He delivered Logan and I continued to see him and then got pregnant in June of 2008 with Peanut. Dr. W did all the initial blood work on Peanut and saw him until I was in the 6th week. Dr.W had a procedure done and was suppose to be gone for two weeks. In that two weeks I started having bleeding problems with Peanut and had to go to his covering OB's. First I encountered the worst of them all Dr. M, she was so cold about it and had a very whatever attitude about my threatened miscarriage (something that never would happen with Dr.W) I had my official first appointment with Dr. W in two weeks, and was told he was back in the office when I was there for my second ultrasound,just getting caught up, but he was back.

On to my first appointment with Dr. W (August 12). Show up at Dr.W's office and it's locked up and lights are off. Call is answering service and was told he was out of the office and to see his covering obs. I get hysterical as I am still having problems and was suppose to have an ultrasound to see what was going on. Matt calls back finds out his is back in the hospital and that we should have been called and to go back to the covering obs.

Go back up stairs, and am told that yes Dr. S could see me today, their ultrasound tech wasn't there so they couldn't give me an ultrasound...great. Wait for hours finally get called in, go to leave urine specimen and of course I was bleeding again. Even after that Dr.S would not give me an ultrasound (Dr. W would have done it himself, not make me wait...unreal) said he would write an order for one and to keep my feet up. Go down to the lab, they can't get me in until the next week...you have to be kidding me (we had, had two ultrasounds already, and Peanut was falling behind further at each one). Go home call Dr.S back tell him not until next week and he says that's fine. Sitting at home still having issues. Get Logan in bed and Matt and I head to the ER, I wasn't going to wait another week to find out if my baby was still alive.

In the ER FOREVER of course, find out at almost midnight that we lost Peanut.

Next morning call the covering obs, they say they will do the D&C three days from now. I say I haven't had anything to eat since yesterday, and I am tired of being jerked a round by these doctors just because they are covering me for Dr.W. The mean nurse goes to talk to Dr.S and he says he will do the D&C that afternoon. I have my D&C on Aug 13th, with a doctor I have spent a grand total of 5 minutes with. I just couldn't believe I was going through this without Dr.W who had been by mother's side through her three miscarriages between me and my brother. As I was being put to sleep and starting to lose it, Dr.S did come over and held my hand, so he's not all bad.

From here on out I see Dr. S and he's decent (I have to see Dr. M when I went in for unplanned ultrasound, still cold b***h and worry about her being on call when I deliver if Dr. W isn't back, and think I should start looking just in case). I go through all the fertility/hormone testing he wants me to. Get pregnant with Ava, start to have problems immediately, still he is fine and in my mind Dr. W will be back, maybe even in time to deliver Ava. Finally get to the point that my bleed is healed and I get to my first official visit at 9 weeks. Talk to Dr.S about the fact that I want a VBAC and Dr. W was supportive. He starts shaking his head before I even finish, saying they don't do VBAC's and then basically calls me selfish for even wanting to try one and that I was going to kill my baby and myself. Not wanting to lose "business" he said I could sign consent forms, but I would be forced onto monitors and I would have to be in bed the whole time and have to get an epidural immediately in case of c-section (all the things would pretty much guarantee me another c-section, and he wouldn't let me go beyond my due date). I was so shocked walking out of there. After my 12 week I get the same "talk". I hate this doctor.

Went home to find VBAC supportive doctor. Found Dr.P. Had to wait a month to get to meet with him, he is very popular. Finally meet Dr. P I am 17 weeks pregnant with Ava. He.is.awesome! Totally in line with my wants, so supportive of VBAC and just a really nice guy. I almost started crying while talking to him because everything I needed and wanted to hear he said without hesitation. Dr.P starts to grow on me, and then I wrestle about going back to Dr. W if he comes back, because I really like Dr.P.

A month or two into seeing Dr. P, I get a letter from him, saying that due to changing roles at the hospital he was reducing his practice hours...I get a little nervous. I have never seen any of the other doctors in the practice and I am worried he is going to leave.

(Dr.P doesn't deliver Ava, OR was busy that day and behind, he had to catch a plane, so the one doctor I had seen other than him at that point ended up delivering Ava.)

December 2009 I get the official letter from Dr. W saying he has to close his practice he suffered a stroke and while making great progress he won't be able to return. SO sad, but was prepared for it and happy that if I couldn't have Dr. W, at least I found Dr. P

August 31, 2010 I get another letter from Dr.P, he is moving to mass. with his family for personal reasons. Total shock. Damn.

So here I am again, needing to find some OB/GYN to fill the huge shoes of these two outstanding doctors. People might say who cares it's just a doctor, and ya if it were my GP I wouldn't care, but it's different when you are talking about the doctor who takes care of you and your baby, it's just different, a different relationship.

So for now I will see Dr. H if I need anything and for annuals. Very much considering going with a midwife in a doctors practice next time as I think I might try a VB2C now that the guidelines favor them. I'll save that for another post however...

Great News!!!!

I GOT IN!!!! I am so excited and relieved!

And the Math was way more advanced that I would have figured and it was brutal. The reading, writing and oral was easy, and I got 100%, but the math not so much. She told us no one ever finishes and yea no where close to finishing here. I also found out that because I am going into the weekend program I have to pass at high standards than the day program since they have less time to go over math stuff. So I was one question away from "passing" for the weekend program, the program recruiter said I could go back and fix one or do another one, but she said we will get to that after the interview. Well once she found out I have a B.A. and have Masters level course work under my belt she said the math was fine and to just brush up on the stuff I missed.

Whew! I was a little worried there for a minute once I got into her office. I would have been way more prepared if their Secretary would have given the correct information to me when I asked, but oh well, they know I am fully capable so it wasn't an issue thankfully (oh and one mistake I made in my rush to get through the math was saying that 6 to the second power was 12...duh! so I said to her, "Oh that should be 36 right?" So I did fix one technically for her, but still, if I knew I had to brush up on high school math, not middle school like I was told I would have been better prepared that's for sure! Math and I didn't get along in high school, but I did great in college and masters level statistics...go figure.

Anyway after the interview she said I was in, they didn't have the packets yet for the January program (the other people there I think were all going for the October day program) so she said they would mail it out at the beginning of October. I have to go get a physical (haven't had one of those since college) and a TB test, proof of immunizations, etc. and once that is handed in I will get cleared for when clinical start. I also have to actually apply to the college as well, so now I have to get my transcripts from Elmhurst College. So I have plenty to keep me busy. I register November 15th and classes start January 21st I believe it was. The first week of class they do the background checks and fingerprinting and they have people come in to measure us for our scrub tops and smocks (we have to buy our own white scrub pants and white leather shoes...(yes nurse shoes, but they have come a long way from what you're thinking).

Once you pass the course and clinical, then you have to sit for the state exam in order to be certified. They do this right at the college which is nice.

This program also does a mini program on job training, getting a resume ready, interview skills, etc and then they have a job fair at the end of the program for ONLY the BNAT program students, with all the area hospitals and LTC (long term care or nursing homes), and home health care agencies. She said most graduates find employment that day or shortly after with one of the companies at the job fair...awesome!

I ultimately want to end up as a patient care tech (PCT) on a L&D/mother baby unit or a OB tech on L&D/mother baby (I would get to scrub in on c-sections and assist with vaginal births) but the first step is becoming a certified nurse assistant (CNA), then getting hired on to one of those floors and then they train you in house for those roles. Once the kids are older I can then go on into the colleges LPN/RN program, but that will be down the road a bit, but in order to go into their nursing program (or most now for that matter) you have to go through their BNAT program, so I will at least have that out of the way and a good amount of experience which will be very beneficial as well.

I am so, so, very excited to finally be getting started on my career. If you would have asked me in high school or college if I was going to be in the nursing field, I would have died laughing at you. It wasn't until college was done and over and grad school was less than full filling, that I figured out what I wanted to do when I grew up. What I have been through since giving birth to Logan has probably been the biggest factor and motivator, but really I have been apart of the nursing world my whole life dealing with my Dad's health.

I have been kind of a CNA my whole life in helping take care of my Dad. I know how to use various glucose machines, I know how to fill a needle with insulin, I know how to use auto blood pressure machines (I will get to learn how to take vitals in class the old fashion way, but most hospitals use the auto machines). I know what to do when someones blood sugar crashes, I have fed my dad when he was hospitalized and too weak to do it himself. Then there are all the duties I do because he is blind. Medication ordering, daily life stuff and what not. Really, I would make a great nurse with a certificate in diabetic patients because I know a lot about that subject already. There have also been two kidney transplants (although I only remember the one) and a third looking very likely unfortunately. So as you can see nursing has always been apart of my life, but I never though of it as a career until I had my babies and suffered a miscarriage.

I guess I always associated anything hospital, nursing, doctor etc. as bad and when you have watched your Dad go through all that, and brush very close to death a few times that would be understandable. But when I had Logan and again very difficult delivery and of course the NICU stay, something changed and I saw these nurses in a whole new light. I had one CNA that was so sweet, she went above and beyond while she took care of me, even kept my meals warm and from being taken away while Matt and I were down in the NICU with Logan and wouldn't you know I had her again when I had Ava. Watching these nurses and CNA's take care of me and Logan just really opened my eyes.

Once things settled down with Logan, I started looking into what was involved for becoming a CNA. I wanted to have another baby first I decided and would start after that baby was a year old, of course that road to baby number two was a very long one, but was the final push I needed. I have talked all that out here before, but losing Peanut and the good and bad care I received during that difficult time was the final push. I wanted this, and all these experiences I have had since I was so very little with nurses in particular, were meant to lead me here. It all feels so right now.

So here I am at 29, finally starting my career!

Good Dinner & Study Time!

We had a nice afternoon and dinner out at my Mom's today. Yummy cider ribs on the grill and yummy sides to go with it. Logan played in his pool and Ava had fun swinging at Grandma's.

Kids are in bed now and I am working on some math and reading practice tests, I have my pre-admission testing for the BNAT program tomorrow at 1pm. I know they said simple math, but I have heard other things from people and now I am nervous. I haven't done any math other than behavioral health stats using SPSS on the computer since well high school, and high school math and I didn't get a long at all. So off to study some more before bed, I doubt I will be able to fit any in tomorrow before I have to leave.

Wish me luck!

Busy Weekend!

We went to our friend's son's first birthday today. Love first birthday's, so much fun! It was a Shreck theme and the cake was of course Shreck, it was really cute! The kids had fun, running around with the other kids there, and Ava was in awe of all the babies that were about her size, usually everyone is bigger than her! Of course the birthday boy and Ava were both suppose to be September babies, but he squeezed in to the last day of August and well we all know that Ava totally missed her September 30th due date and arrived by force on October 8th, so this is the closed baby we know to Ava's age.

We had to leave the birthday party a little early because I had to drop Matt off at a bar in Schaumburg for my cousins fantasy football draft, my aunt and uncle drove him home for me which was nice not having to drive all the way back to get him when the kids would have been in bed. He had fun and I got a quite night to myself...

Tomorrow we are headed to my moms for diner!

Invite Is Done!

I ordered the invites this morning and they were ready by dinner time...love it! Just have to get them printed up now and get envelopes and do all the addressing, but at least I am started now!

Party Prep!

I have been working like crazy on both Logan and Ava's birthday parties. It is more hectic this year because we do a big bash for the first birthday, and invite pretty much everyone so I have a lot of work to do for that party in particular. Logan's party is just the immediate family and cousins, but still a lot of details to get done as well.

I need to get Ava's invites out the first week of September and found really cute ones on Ebay that match her cupcake theme. So now I have to get a picture in her party dress for the invite. Ava wasn't to happy about photo shoot time and it was slim pickings, but I did get one that I liked enough to use for her party invite and center pieces (we will have 14 tables for guests set up in the room, 7 tables will have plush cupcakes as centerpieces and 7 will have a picture of Ava in a frame as centerpieces)

Here is how the photo shoot went down...







And the one I ended up using

Good Thing I Checked...

I was reading over Logan's preschool paper work that was sent in the mail and it said to look over the parent handbook before first day conferences and then it gave a list of items that needed to be filled out and brought that first day. So I went to look and what I had from them and I didn't have any of it. So apparently because we registered a week or so after the open house and Matt just sent it in, we never got the official preschool tote will all said paper work in it.

So I called today and took Logan with me to go and pick it up. Logan hadn't seen the preschool yet, he was sick when we went to the open house last winter, so he finally got to see it and was very happy to find out they had a train table. Of course he didn't want to leave and was so upset that he didn't get to stay at big boy school. I don't think we will have any problems with tears on the first real day (thanks to MDO he knows what to expect pretty much).

So now I have to get a physical thing signed by his doctor, fill out a TON of paper work, and oh yea go get a birth certificate for him, because well we never bothered to get a copy after he was born because we never needed one until now (we have Ava's thanks to the SSN debacle).

So glad I found all this out now, in stead of the first day, don't want to be that annoying parent that doesn't' have their stuff together.

Logan was so bummed about not getting to stay at the preschool that when we got home we made a count down to big boy school and hung it in the kitchen. Now he can cross off the days so he knows how many days until his first day!

One Kid Feels Like A Vacation!

It sure was nice only having Ava to keep up after last night and most of today. It was also nice not to have a visitor in our bed last night. It seriously feels like a vacation when you are down to one kid, and I am sure Ava loved getting to play with whatever she wanted, even big brother's toys.

Matt is at a conference the rest of the week, so he should be home early the rest of the week, which is awesome, I really am starting to miss the days when he worked 6am to 2pm, loved the flex time schedule at his old company. He is super busy with a huge project right now and I know as he gets deeper in it, that it means more late nights. I seriously don't know how single moms do it (or dads for that matter), hats off to you.

No skating tonight, waiting to get our school year schedule's to get worked out and then hopefully I will be back on the ice by next week.

That's about all for now!

Recovering From Fun

We are just hanging around today, we are all still tired from our big day out with Thomas. Logan has been down in the play room all morning with his new train, Spencer, that we got for him yesterday.

After Ava's nap we are headed out to my Mom's house, Logan is spending the night at Grandma's and he is VERY excited. Ava and I are going to have dinner out there as well since Matt has a lodge dinner tonight.

Off to finish packing up Mr. Logan!

A Hot Day Out With Thomas...

Oh man was it hot today while we were at Day Out With Thomas! Last year I was hugely preggo and luckily it was raining and cool the day we went, and it looked like it was going to be raining today as well, but nope it cleared up and got hot! I hate being hot, give me cold any day, but I tried to enjoy myself anyway. Logan of course had a blast, he loves the little mini golf course they have set up there and he played close to 10 rounds and ended up getting 4 hole in ones...not bad for a three year old (they are little holes not full size like regular mini golf). Of course we hit the tattoo tent and the play area (Ava held her one with all the boys and got in on the train action), checked out the big model railroad setup. Ava played in a fire hydrant, Logan did the bounce houses, and we checked out all the old train cars. Of course there was the big ride on Thomas, and although he got a little nervous as we were waiting to board, Logan didn't cry and actually once we were on had a smile on his face this year! All in all it was a long hot day, but both kids had a blast and that is all that matters!

Dragging...

Man I guess I can't hang like I did back in my college days, I am dragging major A** today after bring out with my friend late last night. Oh well it was so worth it!

Just hung around since Mommy was well hung over (not really, more like sleep hung over). Did some school work with Logan (he can't wait for school and MDO to start up) and then made some yummy cookies while we waited for hubby to get home from work with pizza in tow (love pizza Friday's, haven't had one in awhile).

Kids are in bed now and I am ready to hit the hay as well, hopefully I will be all recovered for our big Day Out With Thomas tomorrow!

A Night Out!

Heading out in a bit to meet up with one of my best friends whom I have been very close with since 8th grade, who I haven't seen in quite awhile (darn being responsible adults now). It's always a crazy fun time when we get together, and well after my day yesterday I could use a crazy night with him (yes him, also known as my gay husband, so get over it). He has already let me know that there is a two drink minimum this evening ha, that won't be a problem! I am sure there will be stories tomorrow morning, there always are...

Good times were had!

Bad, Bad, Day.

Logan was a nightmare today, much of the day spent in time out, lot of screaming, etc. and no wine in the house for me. I am ready to call the vasectomy clinic for hubby after today....

Four is around the corner some one please tell me it gets better than three this age is wearing on me, anyone, hello?

And when I think to myself I have to do this all over again, except with a girl, I won't lie, I get a little scared...

Tent City

So we had a tent and tunnel set I got at Kohl's for the kids to play with outside, Ava loves tunnels and Logan has fun with it too. So on Sunday at the family reunion, my cousins brings this whole elaborate tent tunnel thing, which was pretty cool, for the kids to play in. As she was setting it up she informed that I was bring it home...score! Gotta love cousin hand me downs. So of course we had to set tent city up right away. Logan had fun playing with it, Ava was not to sure about it yet, but I am sure she will learn to love it since she loves doing the little tunnel we have in the house. We added out one tunnel and tent on to this set and we have quite the little city going on now.

Can you find Logan?

Play Date

My cousin brought her two boys over today for a swim play date. Logan was bouncing off the walls all day, he loves playing with his two cousins. The boys had fun in the pool and Ava had fun splashing in the water table. It was a nice way to break up the long day with Matt working late tonight!

Family Reunion!

We had our annual family reunion today with my Dad's side of the family. Luckily it always takes place right in our town which makes things nice! We headed over to Lake Park, a first for Ava. Logan had fun playing with his cousins at the park and feeding the ducks. Ava had fun just hanging out and she also was enthralled with the ducks. It was got but we had a really nice breeze so it was actually really nice.

Water Park Fun & Adult Time!

We had a blast yesterday up in Lake Geneva at Timber Ridge Resort. Logan must have gone down the big boy slides two million times and Ava had fun playing in the kiddie area. Since my Mom and siblings were there Matt and I got to have some fun going down the tube slide together and I got to go in a hot tub for the first time since well, our honeymoon!

Today Matt had to work and then we dropped the kids off at his parents and we headed to our friends house for their annual patio party. It sure was nice to get out together for some kid free time and have some yummy food and adult beverages...